Friday April 14, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali National Army's (SNA) infantry forces commander, Mohamed Tahlil Bihi, stated that military officials had developed a new plan to prevent al-Shabab from attacking government and local force bases in liberated areas.
The commander emphasized that they have learned lessons from the recent attacks by the group in these areas, in which the government lost many soldiers and officers who were the backbone of the anti-al-Shabab operations.
General Bihi added that military bases had been reinforced after many troops were deployed in each base to resist any attack from the group. The commander underlined that al-Shabab was experiencing a big conflict among its members after the militants disagreed on whether to surrender or fight. Still, HOL did not independently verify the claim.
The deputy commander of US-trained Danab forces (lighting), Major Hassan Osman Mohamed, popularly known as Hassan Tuure, was killed while his troops repulsed a terrorist attack at an army base in Galcad town January of last year.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group Al-Shabaab usually stages back ambushes on military bases after losing control of the bases or towns.
Last month, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced the initiation of the second phase of military operations against the extremist group Al-Shabab. This new phase aims to eradicate the militant group from the remaining parts of the country.